The Day I Flew a Plane to Demand an Exclusive Deal and Got (Almost) Nothing

It all began with a single book I casually picked up at a bookstore.

“If you want to do business, get the exclusive distribution rights for interesting American products that don’t exist in Japan and sell them.”

That one sentence sent a massive jolt of electricity through my brain.

At the time, I was living in the US, and I had a fateful encounter at “Sharper Image,” a famous chain store that was an absolute treasure trove of futuristic gadgets packed with men’s romance. What I found was a mysterious machine called “LazerFX” that projected a wild light show of pseudo-laser beams synchronized to music. It was love at first sight.

What was truly astonishing, however, was the price difference between Japan and the US.

In the US, it sold for a mere $80. But in Japan, it was priced at a whopping 88,000 yen. The exchange rate at the time was 230 yen to the dollar. No matter how you calculated it, it was an absolute rip-off.

“If I bring this in at a lower price, it will definitely explode in popularity in Japan, which is currently in the middle of an unprecedented karaoke box boom…!”

In my head, I could already hear the glorious sound of cash registers ringing.

Striking while the iron is hot, I bought a LazerFX and scrutinized the outer box like a hawk. I discovered that the manufacturer was a company called “With Design In Mind,” located in Woodland Hills, near Los Angeles.

I immediately looked up their phone number and attempted to negotiate directly for the exclusive distribution rights. The man who answered the phone was the Vice President, Arthur. Little did I know at the time that I would end up having a profound relationship with this man, sharing both business and our personal lives for the next quarter of a century.

As for the all-important negotiation, I was flat-out rejected without a shred of hesitation. He didn’t even give me a reason. But I wasn’t about to back down here.

“Please! I really want to sell this in Japan. Just tell me the conditions!” “No.”

No matter how many times I called, it was a spectacular streak of failures. After eating several rejection calls, I finally decided to put a crazy plan into action.

“If the phone doesn’t work, I’ll just show up in person. And if I’m going to do that, I might as well make a flashy entrance.”

Taking the flight controls myself, I flew a plane all the way from San Jose to an airfield near their company. Right after landing, I dialed Arthur from the airport and confidently declared:

“Hey Arthur. I just landed at the airfield near your company. I’m heading over there now, so make some time for me!”

Confronted by a mysterious Japanese salesman who had essentially ambushed him from the sky, Arthur said this over the receiver:

“…Five minutes. I’ll give you five minutes. Come see me.”

Bingo. That was the moment zero became one.

I immediately caught a taxi at the airport and headed straight for his company. Waiting for me upon arrival was an office building with a bizarre design that seemed to mock common sense. Its appearance, a pure manifestation of creativity, made my heart pound whether I liked it or not.

I went to the reception desk and asked them to call Arthur. After a while, a giant of a man suddenly appeared from the back. He had to be easily over 190 cm (6’3″) tall. His name was Arthur Rosenthal, a Jewish businessman.

Emitting an overwhelming sense of intimidation, he invited me into his office. And as soon as we sat down, he began to eloquently explain exactly why he would not give me the exclusive distribution rights.

The reason was this.

One day, a Japanese man had contacted him, just like me, saying he wanted the exclusive distribution rights. Arthur treated him politely, and after negotiating, gladly gave him the Japanese distribution rights under the promise that the man would purchase 100 LazerFX units initially and continue to buy them thereafter.

“But guess what,”

Arthur’s eyes sharpened.

“I haven’t heard a single word from that guy in six months. Complete radio silence. …I’ve decided I’m not going to trust Japanese people anymore.”

A heavy silence filled the office. The reason he had so stubbornly rejected me over the phone… It was a deep, raw trauma from being betrayed by a previous Japanese businessman.

“That’s why I’m not giving you the distribution rights.”

Arthur’s words had a cold and absolute ring to them. I could have argued that this was an unreasonable guilt-by-association, but in business, the price of lost “trust” is far too steep. His anger was entirely justified.

I had completely lost any hope for a breakthrough. Realizing that any further persuasion would be counterproductive, I decided to back off for the day. I left, carrying a single LazerFX unit that he had inexplicably given me as a parting gift.

Hugging that box, which was much too bittersweet to be called a trophy, I knew I was far from giving up.